Sunday, July 20, 2014

Enjoy a Day of Family Fun at African Lion Safari!

African Lion Safari SignWhen I was growing up in Toronto, Summers were filled with a lot of Family time and never-ending things to do. As a child, I remember going to African Lion Safari and having the animals within arms reach (no, we didn’t touch!) and the baboons climb all over our cars. The memories are so fond that I wanted to provide the same opportunities to The Kids. In turn, for the second year in a row, we headed to African Lion Safari.

Open from May 3 to October 13, African Lion Safari is located just over an hour drive from Toronto. The wildlife park is nestled in the middle of nowhere and contains over 1,000 exotic birds and animals of more than 100 different species. For 45 years, lions, giraffes, rhinos, zebras and more animals have roamed in one of seven reserves along 9km of safari trail. While you can drive your own vehicle through the reserve, my favourite part of the whole day is the educationally guided, air-conditioned Safari Tour Bus.

Safari Bus Tour

Monkey on Car

It gives you plenty of time to take pictures and not have to worry about hitting any animals. Which are everywhere and they don’t follow road signs. Note that sometimes the baboons leave and/or take “presents” from the cars.

African Lion Safari Lion

African Lion Safari is recognized around the world for their conservation initiatives and breeding efforts with the Asian elephant, cheetah, white rhino and giraffe amongst others. In fact, this year, they had the birth of Canada’s first giraffe born by artificial insemination. “Safari” has been introduced into the herd and is living in the reserves. Unfortunately, her species is endangered with less than 1,100 individuals in the wild.

African Lion Safari Giraffe

There are more than enough activities to fill an entire day and some! Activites include; Safari Bus Tour, Performances, Elephant/Pony ride; Elephant swim, Drive through the Game Reserve, Waterpark, Jungle Playground, Scenic Railway, Boat Cruise, Pet’s Corner. It’s hard to see everything and last year we didn’t get a chance to go to the Pet’s Corner or see all the birds, bats and tortoise so we made a point of visiting this year.

African Lion Safari Feeding Goats

The Kids loved getting a chance to get right in the pen with the goats and to say that they were friendly would be an understatement. We stayed until we ran out of quarters for food to feed them.

African Lion Safari Riding the Train

Considering how much The Kids love trains, we went on the Scenic railway (again) and spent a few hours in the Waterpark.

African Lion Safari Waterpark

The park also has a huge Food Court with lots of meal choices. It makes my day easier and it’s a treat for The Kids to buy something. I like that The kids pizza meal had a milk option and came with a lunchbox keepsake for them to keep. The best part is that you can eat your lunch (purchased or brought) at one of the many shaded picnic areas and even watch the Elephants Swim at the same time. As long as you don’t mind getting a bit wet!

Africal Lion Safari Elephant Swim

If you’re looking for something to do with the whole family this Summer, African Lion Safari has something for everyone and is a must visit! There is so much to do and so many amazing picture opportunities. And no excuses because you can enter to win an African Lion Safari giveaway!

Enjoy a Day of Family Fun at African Lion Safari!

Connect with African Lion Safari Website | Facebook

Note that this is the first of five attractions in our “What To Do with your Family This Summer in Toronto”.

Journeys of The Zoo received compensation in exchange for sharing about this company.

Besos, The Zoo

104 thoughts on “Enjoy a Day of Family Fun at African Lion Safari!

  1. Lisa @blueravefinn

    My family loves ALS. Animals, a train, a boat ride and more. 🙂 Plus they have gluten free options on the menu.

    Reply
  2. Julie G.

    I’d love to see the elephants bathing. We were at African Lion Safari years ago and I remember enjoying their antics in the water.

    Reply
  3. Nancy T

    We took our older daughter (now 8) to African Lion Safari when she was 16 months and would love to take her and her younger sister (4) again. I know they would both love to see the elephants taking a bath!

    Reply
  4. Megan F.

    I would love to see the ostrich and black swan! These are two that I haven’t seen in person yet, so it would be amazing to see them, finally!

    Reply
  5. Rene

    For ONCE, I wish I lived in Toronto. This looks great and I love the photos. I will let someone who can use it win this one 😉

    Reply
  6. Sandy

    I would love to see the look on my children’s faces when they see all the animals! But aside from that the Elephant swim seems pretty cool!

    Reply
  7. KD

    I learned that they are open 10 – 5:30 p.m. every day until September 1, when they start closing at 4 p.m.

    Reply
  8. Brandee H

    I like that they have a monkey detour in the driving area so you don’t have to drive through the monkey area if you don’t want to. On a side note, your skill testing questions seriously stress me out 🙂

    Reply
    1. Sarah Post author

      Dear Brandee,

      Thanks for the comment about the monkey are detour. We’ve always taken the bus tour.

      Sorry about stress regarding the skill testing question. Canadian Law suggests that the question be 3 or 4 parts and it must require skill to complete. 3 + 1 doesn’t count 😉

      Besos, Sarah
      Sarah recently posted…It Takes a Village to Raise a ChildMy Profile

      Reply
  9. ML - @20YS

    Hola Amiga!

    What a great give-away! I try to limit my entering most of the time but this, I couldn’t resist! I really want to go! =)

    Fab post as always amor!

    xox,

    ML

    Reply
  10. Sandy

    I lived in Toronto for almost 8 years myself…but sadly, never made it to African Lion Safari. I definitely remember their tv commercials and always wanted to visit. Looks amazing! I learned a lot I didn’t know about the park when I took a peek. I did not know about their conservation initiatives, nor did I know about all the things they have to see and do there. I thought it was simply all about driving around amongst the animals. A waterpark too? Wowee! I think we need to visit one of these days! Great post, Sarah! Thx for the giveaway!
    Sandy recently posted…Camp Fortune ~ So Much More Than Just A Great Ski Hill! #FamilyTravel #Review #GiveawayMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Nicolas Bello

    African lion safari still has one of the best jingles. All these years later and you still find yourself singing it

    Reply
  12. Viv Sluys

    I learned that the African Lion Safari is less than a 3 hour drive from my sister-in-law’s place. My nephew and niece would love to go!

    Reply
  13. Pingback: Tickets to African Lion Safari Giveaway - Giveaway Promote

  14. Edmond

    I would love to see the animal shows. 2 fingers snap . Thanks for the awesomeness, the contest, & generosity.

    Reply
  15. Adrienne McElwain

    I love the boat cruise! We have been to the saffari thing in California but this looks way neat!

    Reply
  16. sugandha

    Sounds like a great way for families to spend some together and for kids to learn about their natural environment.

    Reply
  17. Pingback: Tickets to African Lion Safari Giveaway | Just Sweep

  18. KD

    Thank you so much for this giveaway! We went in late September and it was amazing! My daughter especially loved it, and still keeps talking about it, and pretending to go to the African Lion Safari with her stuffed animals.

    Reply

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